And then there’s the peculiar, gnawingly likeable Joey Barton: the footballer who regularly — and admirably — pierces the dull fog of footballerisms that sterilizes the vast majority of post-match interviews and press conferences. He criticized the England team for cashing in on dismal World Cup performances by publishing post-tournament books; he flashed his bum at Everton fans who had been taunting him about his incarcerated brother; and, of late, he has been become quite easily the most surprising player on Twitter, re-tweeting quotes by Nietzche, offering his opinion on the Labour Party leadership, and recommending Naomi Wolf novels to his followers.

Somewhat predictably, his boundless honesty has landed him in trouble — a flurry of barely-veiled tweets criticizing the blundering board at Newcastle United proved the final straw, and Barton was transfer listed on Wednesday. Whoever his new employers prove to be, it’s likely that his online activities will be highly scrutinized.

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Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.